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Hyperallergic published “Six Persimmons,” an excerpt from art critic Will Heinrich’s book From Darkness to Darkness, scheduled for summer 2026. The chapter follows a critic named Jonah as he travels to San Francisco to see the Chinese ink painting Six Persimmons, attributed to 13th-century artist Muqi Fachang. The supplied excerpt ends before describing his encounter with the painting, so its full account and the chapter’s conclusion are not available here.
Hyperallergic has published “Six Persimmons,” a chapter excerpt from art critic Will Heinrich’s book From Darkness to Darkness, due from Thousand Horsemen Press in summer 2026. The chapter follows Jonah, a newspaper art critic, as he travels to San Francisco to see Six Persimmons, an ink painting attributed to the 13th-century Chinese artist Muqi Fachang.
The excerpt says the painting was scheduled for a brief visit to San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum, on loan from a Japanese monastery. According to the chapter, the monastery acquired the work when it was already nearly 300 years old and had kept it mostly rolled up and out of view since the early 1500s. The passage frames the exhibition as an unusual chance to see a work that had rarely traveled.
Jonah persuades his editor to let him write about the exhibition, but the newspaper has no travel budget available. He says he intends to go anyway, and the editor offers to cover a hotel night; he instead plans to stay with a cousin and uses credit-card points to book a low-cost flight. His trip is presented not simply as an assignment but as an unusual period alone after years of family life.
The supplied passage follows Jonah through the flight from New York, a visit with his cousin and a morning in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It ends before recounting his visit to the painting itself. The chapter is an excerpt from a book, not a reported museum announcement, and the source material does not provide the exhibition’s dates or additional loan details.
A Rare Museum Visit Shapes the Chapter
The excerpt links an encounter with a historic artwork to the routines and compromises of a working critic. Jonah’s decision to travel despite his newspaper’s lack of a travel budget gives the painting a practical significance in the narrative: seeing art in person is treated as part of the work of criticism, even when the assignment does not cover the cost.
The painting’s reported history also gives the chapter’s premise weight. A work kept mostly rolled up at a monastery for centuries and lent for a short museum appearance would offer visitors a limited opportunity to view it. The passage, however, does not establish how many people saw the work, how long it was displayed, or what response the exhibition received.
For readers, the publication is a preview of Heinrich’s forthcoming book and an account of how an art assignment intersects with memory, family and travel. It should not be read as a full review of the exhibition: the supplied chapter excerpt stops before Jonah’s account of seeing the painting.
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The Painting and Its San Francisco Loan
The source identifies Six Persimmons as a Chinese ink painting attributed to Muqi Fachang, an artist active in the 13th century. It describes the work as a still life and says it was held by a Japanese monastery that had acquired it when it was already nearly three centuries old. The monastery reportedly kept it mostly rolled up and hidden away from the early 1500s onward.
In the chapter, the work is due to make a brief appearance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Jonah learns of the show while preparing a newspaper preview of upcoming museum exhibitions. His editor agrees he can write about it but says the paper’s art section cannot pay for travel because of expenses covering the war in Ukraine. He goes on his own budget, with a limited contribution toward lodging.
Hyperallergic’s editor’s note identifies the text as an excerpt from From Darkness to Darkness, by Heinrich, published by Thousand Horsemen Press. The note says the book is expected in summer 2026 and will be available online and through independent booksellers.
Exhibition Details Still Missing
The supplied material does not give the exhibition’s opening or closing dates, the precise loan terms, or whether the museum’s presentation included other works. It also does not independently verify the painting’s custodial history or the claim that its San Francisco appearance was unprecedented; those details are presented within the excerpt.
The text provided ends during Jonah’s visit to Chinatown, before it describes his encounter with Six Persimmons. It is not possible from this passage to establish what he thought of the painting, what the chapter ultimately argues, or how the museum exhibition was received. The article’s title, “The Zen Mona Lisa,” is not explained in the supplied excerpt.
Book Publication in Summer 2026
From Darkness to Darkness is scheduled for publication by Thousand Horsemen Press in summer 2026, according to Hyperallergic’s editor’s note. The note says it will be available online and through independent booksellers.
The supplied report does not announce a further installment, a publication date more specific than the season, or additional information about the museum loan. Readers seeking the full chapter will need to consult the book when it becomes available; further exhibition details would need to come from the museum or the lender.
Key Questions
What is “The Zen Mona Lisa”?
It is the title used for the Hyperallergic report that presents an excerpt called “Six Persimmons” from Will Heinrich’s book From Darkness to Darkness.
What is Six Persimmons?
Six Persimmons is a Chinese ink painting attributed to Muqi Fachang, an artist active in the 13th century. The excerpt describes it as a still life held by a Japanese monastery.
Where was the painting due to be shown?
The chapter says the work was due to make a brief visit to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The supplied material does not specify the exhibition dates.
When is Heinrich’s book expected?
Hyperallergic’s editor’s note says From Darkness to Darkness is scheduled for summer 2026 from Thousand Horsemen Press, with availability online and through independent booksellers.
Does the excerpt describe Jonah seeing the painting?
No. The supplied passage ends before Jonah reaches or describes Six Persimmons, so his response to the work and the chapter’s ending are not provided.
Source: hyperallergic.com
